Tag Archives: United States

Nokian Tyres Inc. is building a factory in the U.S. to produce passenger car, SUV and light truck tires. The plant, to be located in southeast Tennessee, will have an initial capacity to produce 4 million tires annually, and the site also will house a distribution center.

The company will break ground in Rhea County, Tennessee, in early 2018, and production lines should be running by 2020. The distribution facility will have the capacity to hold 600,000 tires, and there is room to expand production at the tire plant “to meet future demand.”
Nokian says it is investing $360 million to build what will be its first North American plant. It will serve customers in the U.S. and Canada.

“In addition to increased capacity, the Dayton, Tennessee, site’s proximity to North American customers will shorten lead and delivery times,” says Tommi Heinonen, head of Nokian Tyres North America. “It’s our goal that the new plant will help us better serve our growing customer base throughout the U.S. and Canada by improving customer service and efficiencies.”

Nokian says building a plant for North America continues the company’s “strong year-over-year growth in both Canada and the U.S.” The company recently increased its warehouse capacity with the opening of its Montreal-area distribution center.
The plant will create up to 400 new jobs in the local community. For more information about the plant, visit http://www.nokiantires.com/daytonfactory.

The latest annual reviews of tariffs on off-the-road tires from China have resulted in changes to how much tire makers and importers will pay on the tires they import into the U.S.

In the anti-dumping investigation for the period September 2014-August 2015, the Department of Commerce (DOC) says the rate for Xuzhou Xugong Tyres Co. Ltd., (also known as Armour Rubber Co. Ltd. or Xuzhou Hanbang Tyre Co. Ltd.) should be 33.08% — that’s nearly half of what the company was assessed after the previous year’s review; then it was 65.33%.

And because Xugong was one of the primary companies the DOC investigated (the agency calls them a ‘mandatory respondent’), the drop in its rate lowers the rate of these nine other companies to the same 33.08%:

One thing that hasn’t changed is that the bulk of companies who were assessed the country-wide rate will continue to pay 105.31%.

Subsidy rates go up

As for the countervailing investigation — which covers subsidies from a foreign government that a company receives — the latest review is prompting substantial rate increases.

For Guizhou Tyre Co. Ltd., the rate is increasing from 2.52% to 34.46%. For companies not selected for an individual review the new rate of 40.24% is almost eight-times higher than the previous 5.65%.

The good news for these companies is that their rates could have been even higher. When the DOC published preliminary countervailing rates in October 2016, Guizhou’s rate was to be 38.19%, and the “others” category rate was to be 54.20%. (It’s not uncommon for the DOC to make revisions after companies provide additional data for consideration.)

Why a review?

Companies who are assessed tariffs have the right to request a review of the data once a year. The government publishes a notice in the Federal Register each month of the investigations that had been finalized in that same month in previous years, and companies have a certain amount of time to request an administrative review. Sometimes no one makes a request. In the case of the anti-dumping investigation on OTR tires from China, the 2016 review was the seventh review.

Tariffs on OTR tires from China were imposed beginning in 2008, and they were renewed in 2013. Tariffs are imposed on five-year cycles, and the next mandatory review of these tariffs is in 2018.

Titan responds

After the higher subsidy rates were published in the Federal Register this week, Titan International Inc. released a statement which included messages from Chairman Morry Taylor and CEO and President Paul Reitz.

Taylor says, “We thank the government agencies involved for their diligence in pursuing these reviews. These results confirm that imports of OTR tires from China continue to be subsidized and dumped and harm U.S. producers of OTR tires in the U.S. marketplace. I believe Titan will see a positive impact in our aftermarket business as a result of these determinations.On behalf of our shareholders and workers, we are pleased that the U.S. government’s investigations have confirmed what we are seeing in the U.S. marketplace.”

Reitz says, “These results confirm our belief that the levels of government subsidization had significantly increased and that the amount of dumping has continued. The continued monitoring by the DOC of these orders and the imposition of accurate amounts of countervailing and antidumping duties is an important step in restoring conditions of fair trade. We will continue to work with the DOC to insure that any and all subsidization and dumping by Chinese producers is met by appropriate duty levels. We have been fighting and will continue to fight against the unfair trade practices of any U.S. trading partners.”

Like this:

Where do quirky-sounding traffic laws come from? It’s impossible to say in every case. City and state traffic codes are full of laws and ordinances that don’t always make sense at first glance.

“Constituents can go to their legislators and request new laws,” says Duane Kokesch, director of the National Traffic Law Center. “If it matters only to a few constituents, legislators may pass the law without any opposition.” Other laws have become outmoded, Kokesch explains, and removing them from the books may not be seen as worth the trouble.

But other times, there’s no way to define the law without it sounding a little funny. Here are a few ways to drive safely that you never imagined:

The Law: No Cursing While Driving
Where: Rockville, Md.

Why: If a pedestrian hears a driver using profanity, it’s a misdemeanor. According to the law, a person “may not profanely curse and swear or use obscene language upon or near any street, sidewalk or highway within the hearing of persons passing by, upon or along such street, sidewalk or highway.”

The Law: No Screeching Tires
Where: Derby, Kan.

Why: Drag racing is a dicey proposition in Derby, where “it is unlawful for any person or persons, while operating a motor vehicle on the streets or highways of the city, to accelerate or speed the vehicle in such a manner or to turn a corner in such a manner as to cause the tires to screech.”

The Law: No Minors On Outside Of Vehicle
Where: Oregon

Why: When traveling through this state, it’s best to use the luggage rack for suitcases, not your kids: “A person commits the offense of carrying a minor on an external part of a motor vehicle if the person carries any person under 18 years of age upon the hood, fender, running board or other external part of any motor vehicle that is upon the highway.” Think of it as a post-graduation privilege.

The Law: No Glasses With Thick Frames While Driving
Where: California

Why: Restricting your vision with bulky shades in California can harm your financial health. Vehicle Code Section 23120 states, “No person shall operate a motor vehicle while wearing glasses having a temple width of one-half inch or more if any part of such temple extends below the horizontal center of the lens so as to interfere with lateral vision.”

The Law: No Dirty Tires On Trucks
Where: Minnetonka, Minn.

Why: Here, “a truck or other vehicle whose wheels or tires deposit mud, dirt, sticky substances, litter or other material on any street or highway” is a public nuisance.

The Law: No Playing In Traffic
Where: Dunn, N.C.

Why: It is unlawful to “play any games of any description upon the streets or sidewalks of the city, and no person shall throw stones or other missiles of any kind upon such streets or sidewalks. No person shall skate upon the sidewalks within the fire district of the city.” We assume that goes for all the streets too.

On the other hand, there are laws you probably thought had already been passed, but haven’t quite yet:

The Law: No Holding A Cell Phone While Driving
Where: 14 states have bans on hand-held cell phones that affect all drivers

Why not 50?: Some states have specific restrictions for minors, bus drivers and learner permit carriers. But not every state has an all-driver ban.

The Law: No Texting—For Bus Drivers
Where: Montana

Why: Well, that’s obvious. But unless you’re in Missoula or a few other cities, texting and driving is still OK for other drivers. “In western states, you have a lot of open roads that are long and straight,” Kokesch says. But no matter how clear the roads appear, it’s still never safe to check your phone while driving.

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Pirelli & Cie SpA is making a push for a new era in tire manufacturing at the 2017 Geneva International Motor Show with two innovations: colored editions of P Zero and Winter Sottozero tires, and a platform integrated into those tires that communicates with the driver via a mobile app.

Pirelli is rolling out an interactive platform via a sensor in two of its tire designs that provides drivers constant information on how the tires are wearing.
Pirelli is rolling out an interactive platform via a sensor in two of its tire designs that provides drivers constant information on how the tires are wearing.
The tire manufacturer says it will debut its interactive, cloud-based tire system in the aftermarket, and eventually roll it out to auto makers.

Colorful tires

Pirelli says its engineers have developed innovative materials and protection systems to promise vivid and durable colors in the tires. It’s part of the company’s strategy to offer tailor-made products to its customers.

The base colors for the colored edition will be red, yellow, white, and silver, and they’re on display at Pirelli’s booth at the auto show, but also on some of the most eagerly-anticipated cars at the event. As well as the base colors, options are available in every other color on request.

The Pirelli colored edition was born to satisfy the increasing demand for personalization from prestige and premium clients, and the tire maker says it comes alongside other Pirelli specialty technologies, such as PNCS, its noise-canceling system, run-flat systems, and seal-inside, a technology that allows a tire to repair itself in the event of a puncture.

The stability of the sidewall colors is its own breakthrough, Pirelli says, and the company says its engineers have used the experience gained in Formula 1, where colored tires have been a reality since 2011, to refine an innovative labeling system. In particular, a new material has been created that acts as a protective barrier to maintain the brilliance of the color and avoid fading caused by time and use, without affecting performance.

The first colored edition P Zero tires already have made their debuts in the last few months as concepts with Pagani, Lamborghini and McLaren, while from the summer they will be available for brands such as Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche and Bentley. The colored edition will then be expanded to premium models from the world’s top manufacturers.
Colored edition tires are available to preorder straight away for the P Zero and Winter Sottozero ranges in the prestige sector, from 19-inch size upwards, before then being extended to premium cars.

Smart replacement tires

With Pirelli Connesso, the tire maker says a tire becomes intelligent and interactive. It’s a digital platform using a sensor integrated within Pirelli’s high end tires to expand on the information already available from each car’s on-board computer.
It provides data about the status, use and maintenance of every tire, also offering localized and personalized services to provide bespoke mobility for the needs of the most demanding drivers. Pirelli’s new system has been conceived as a technical tire accessory, and is intended to provide a more informed and pleasurable driving experience, optimizing performance and reducing fuel consumption with more efficient use of tires.

It will initially be available in 19-inch size and bigger on P Zero and Winter Sottozero for prestige cars.

The first country where it will be offered will be the United States from summer 2017, where the platform has been developed in conjunction with leading companies from the digital world.
After the U.S., Pirelli Connesso will be available in principal markets within Europe and the Far East. Pirelli Connesso will be available in P Zero or Winter Sottozero tires whether they’re plain black or colored.

Pirelli Connesso is formed of a sensor embedded in the tire connected to the Pirelli Cloud and to a smartphone app, providing an interface that allows drivers to constantly communicate with tires.

The sensor weighs just a few grams and has no effect on the physical performance of the tire, Pirelli says. It continuously measures the status of each tire and sends the data to a centralized control unit and the Pirelli Cloud, which together form the real brain of the Connesso system. Here the information is processed and then conveyed to the end-user app.
The launch version of the Pirelli Connesso system recognizes each tire’s identification code, monitoring its status from manufacture in the factory to recycling at the end of life. It measures tire pressure and temperature even when the car is at rest, plus static vertical load, tire wear, number of kilometers covered for each tire, and, in a future version, the estimated remaining life in kilometers, as well as acting as a remote pressure gauge when tires are being inflated, providing a true and accurate reading without having to wait for the tires to cool down.

Furthermore, Pirelli Connesso alerts the driver when the pressure of one or more tires drops too low, or when the wear limit is approaching. In both cases, the app identifies the closest tire dealership and can directly book an appointment to rectify the pressures, or pre-order and change worn tires, cutting down on waiting time.

How Connesso compares to TPMS

In particular, compared to other on-board tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) currently used, Pirelli Connesso works both when the car is at rest as well as when it is moving. In a future version, Connesso also will be able detect a drop in pressure remotely and immediately make arrangements for any new tires or maintenance needed, directly in the place where the car is parked. This type of functionality, which allows predictive tire management, has been developed by Pirelli’s engineers not only to satisfy the requirements of individual users, but also those of fleets and car sharing services.

Pirelli says its Connesso app is the first mobile platform of its kind to connect tire makers, consumers and the sales network. It also will offer exclusive services such as indicating which motorsport events are taking place nearby, as well as giving the possibility to write reviews of tire dealerships, in order to share opinions of service received and read the views of other users in the Pirelli Connesso community.
Pirelli’s new system is currently focused on the aftermarket, but there will also be an original equipment solution.
In collaboration with some car manufacturers, Pirelli is developing a brand new technical architecture for tires. As well as enabling all the basic functions, this will add the possibility of automatically controlling the vehicle’s set-up. By reading each tire’s identification code, the sensor will recognize its characteristics and send that information to the car’s on-board computer, in order to select the car set-up offering the most performance and safety.

These concepts form part of the wider Cyber Technologies project, which Pirelli launched in 2005 with the aim of achieving maximum integration between driver, car, and tires.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. was the first tire and rubber industry manufacturer to be honored with a Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The company received the award on Aug. 26 during a ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

The Freedom Award, which is the nation’s highest honor given to employers for exceptional support of Guard and Reserve employees, was given to 15 companies selected from more than 2,400 nominations.

“These 15 awardees are helping to make the Department of Defense and our country stronger,” said Secretary of Defense Ash Carter during the ceremony. “Today, more than ever, the commitment they’ve shown to our country, and to those who serve our country, is indispensable.”

Goodyear was recognized for the honor based on its strong military support including:

* The company hired 1,000 Guard, Reserve and veteran employees from 2011-2014 and renewed that commitment in 2015.

* Goodyear supports members of the U.S. Armed Forces and families through its annual “Support Our Troops” campaign, which has generated more than $1 million over the past six years.

* Goodyear fosters a culture of support for its associate veterans, reservists and guardsmen and women. From its manufacturing plants to corporate offices, Goodyear offers employee benefits, resource groups, and company policies aimed at supporting associates who serve their country while working for the company.

“I nominated Goodyear for the Freedom Award because I’ve experienced firsthand the heartwarming and outstanding support they’re willing to give veterans, guardsman and reservists,” said Chris Wozniak, engineering manager at Goodyear Innovation Center Manufacturing and a Lt. Cmdr. in the U.S. Navy Reservist. “The thread of patriotism runs deep throughout all facets of the organization, whether it’s with new hires, transitioning veterans or even associates who have never served but are passionate about supporting our troops.”

At the ceremony, Secretary Carter presented Steve McClellan, president of Goodyear Americas, with the award –a tall bronze eagle.

“To be chosen as one of 15 recipients out of more than 2,400 organizations that were nominated is a great honor,” said McClellan. “Although Goodyear is being recognized for our efforts as a company to support our troops and honor veterans, we believe that what we receive back from our veteran associates is truly invaluable. The dedication, work ethic, perspective and ingenuity that they bring to our offices, plants and retail stores every day is the real reward for Goodyear.”

Goodyear has more than 100 years of history building tires and equipment to help support and protect U.S. troops and is the largest producer of military tires in the country.

In past years, Goodyear has received the Pro Patria and Above And Beyond Awards, two similarly-judged awards from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), and was recently recognized as a Military Friendly Employer by G.I. Jobs magazine for its leadership in hiring and supporting veterans.

For the second year in a row, Continental North America was ranked one of America’s Best Employers 2016 by Forbes magazine.

Continental has invested more than $1.5 billion in the United States since 2011 in the automotive and tire industry, and in February 2016 announced a $1.4 billion investment for a new commercial vehicle tire plant in Mississippi.

Continental employs approximately 17,000 people in the U.S. Pictured is the company’s NAFTA headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich.
Continental employs approximately 17,000 people in the U.S. Pictured is the company’s NAFTA headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich.
Forbes magazine’s list of top employers is generated from a national survey of 30,000 employees from companies throughout the country, and rates employers who continuously raise the bar on employee initiatives and strive to achieve corporate culture excellence. Each survey participant was asked to rank both his own employer as well as other employers in the same industry sector.
“We are extremely excited and proud to once again be named as one of America’s Best Employers by Forbes,” says Rick Ledsinger, vice president of human relations for Continental North America. “Attracting and retaining top talent has become more challenging in our business. As the tech-driven automotive industry continues to evolve, we must remain flexible within this changing landscape by offering unique programs and services that not only meet the needs of employees, but their families too.

“At Continental, our employees are our greatest asset. In our 2015 worldwide employee survey, the vast majority – 85% – of employees said they were proud to work for Continental. This result is around 10 percentage points higher than the previous survey carried out in 2011.

“Our employees are working on ideas and technologies that are shaping future mobility. They are the drivers of our business growth and long-term success. That is why we remain committed to advancing our talent development strategies, ensuring we are continuously creating impactful and engaging opportunities across the organization.

“Each year, we strive at becoming the employer of choice. Our innovative employee initiatives and dedication to creating an excellent work-life balance culture are among the many reasons we have again made it to the Forbes list this year. At the core for all of this are our values – trust, passion to win, freedom to act, and for one another. These four pillars are what guide us and contribute positively to our company’s culture.”

America’s Best Employers 2016 list will be published in the April 11 print issue of Forbes magazine.